Branch-point image data has coordinates added thereto according to the distance from a branch point such as an intersection. When the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a branch point on a suggested route, the coordinates of the present position of the vehicle and the coordinates added to the branch-point image data are compared to locate the present position on the image data, and a present-position mark is displayed superimposed on the branch-point image data. The displayed present-position mark moves according to the distance between the vehicle and the branch point.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A navigation system comprising: present-position detecting means for detecting a present position of a vehicle; input means for entering a destination and information; information storage means for storing data, said data including branch-point image data having coordinates added thereto according to a distance from a branch point, and road data, said data also including node data; display means for displaying route guidance information; route search means for searching for a route to the destination on a basis of the information entered by said input means and the data stored in said information storage means; control means reading said branch-point image data when the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a branch point on a route found by said route search means and outputting said branch-point image data to said display means to display a present-position mark superimposed on said branch-point image data on a basis of coordinates of the present position detected by said present-position detecting means and the coordinates added to said branch-point image data; and said control means reading said node data and outputting said node data to said display means so that a map prepared according to the node data is displayed.
2. A navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein the present-position mark is displayed so as to move according to a distance from the vehicle to the branch point.
3. A navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein said image data has a flag indicating whether or not said image data has coordinates added thereto according to a distance from a branch point such as an intersection.
4. A navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein said image data includes data concerning a size thereof when it is expanded, and has a coordinate offset from a specific coordinate point to a display reference point.
5. A storage medium having a program comprising the steps of: detecting a present position; storing data necessary for route guidance, said data including branch-point image data having coordinates added thereto according to a distance from a branch point and said data including node data; searching for a route and displaying route guidance information; comparing coordinates of the detected present position with the coordinates added to said branch-point image data when the present position is within a predetermined distance from a branch point on a route found by said searching step, and displaying a present-position mark superimposed on said branch point-image data; and reading said node data and displaying a map prepared according to the node data.
6. A storage medium comprising: branch-point image data having coordinates added thereto according to a distance from a branch point; and wherein said image data includes data concerning a size thereof when it is expanded, and has a coordinate offset from a specific coordinate point to a display reference point.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 23, 2000
February 17, 2004
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